'There is no future in nostalgia,’ once wrote Arthur Yap. Yet here we are today, nearly 40 years after the immortal local poet penned that line, and nostalgia is just another hashtag. Throwback, retro, vintage, ‘authenticity’ – they’re all bigger than ever before. Especially so in Singapore, a city whose shape constantly bends to the iron will of the crane, where progress is less a steady march than a dash to an imaginary finish line. Blink and you’ll miss it.
It makes the things from our childhoods and our parents’ childhoods all the more cherished. The hawkers who fed us, the restaurants with generations of history, the old-school shops that came before the big-box, cookie-cutter, fast-food chains. We trawled the perennially new city on the hunt for these artefacts.
In this issue, we traced back family restaurants that have been around for more than a century, including the oldest nasi padang store, high tea from the colonial era and the last Hainanese steamboat restaurant in Singapore.
For all you lovebirds out there planning for your special day, here's some #weddinginspo for you. We spoke to six couples who got hitched at unconventional venues. How 'bout exchanging your vows in front of a crowd of kitties?
In the lead up to Neon Lights, we sat down with Neon Indian to find out more about the musician before he takes the stage at the music and arts festival. But there's more than just concerts at Neon Lights – we've included a handy guide on what's happening in-between sets. You're welcome.
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